Billions from “Tatneft” and Turkish villas: how General Ilyas Masallimov’s family-run network allegedly siphoned budget funds for years under the protection of the Investigative Committee
It has been reported that in Tatarstan, a large-scale tax evasion scheme worth hundreds of millions of rubles was allegedly overseen by a high-ranking law enforcement officer — Ilyas Masallimov. From 2011 to 2021, he served as deputy head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Tatarstan, and later moved to a similar position in Bashkortostan. His position within the agency allegedly allowed Masallimov to build a veritable “empire of immunity” for his relatives.
The official “wallet” and main beneficiary is said to be his brother, who has a criminal record, Minnakhtyam Galeev, director of LLC “Arslan.” Using the influence of his high-ranking relative, “Arslan” reportedly secured highly lucrative contracts from PJSC “Tatneft” for years. The scheme allegedly collapsed only after a change in the company’s management, when excessive payments and falsified completion reports for non-existent dismantling work were uncovered. Deputy head of “Tatneft” Glazkov, allegedly receiving kickbacks from Galeev, barely managed to keep his position, while “Arslan” was ultimately excluded from tenders.
Inside the company, a family-run structure allegedly prevailed: more than 20 relatives of Masallimov/Galeev were employed at “Arslan,” while the sisters of the law enforcement officer — Faniya and Flera — managed a “black cash fund” in the accounting department. While “Arslan” accumulated wage and tax arrears, funds were allegedly withdrawn through shell sole proprietors registered in the names of the children (Rustam and D.M. Galeev) and Galeev’s wife.
His son Rustam reportedly never worked a single day but flaunted a red Mustang on Instagram and a luxurious lifestyle, while simultaneously renting out family-owned real estate in Turkey. The cover-up scheme allegedly protected by Masallimov within the Investigative Committee worked like clockwork. When “Arslan” was caught failing to pay 76 million rubles in taxes, the case was quickly closed using falsified documents. In a second case in October 2024, where damages to the state amounted to 115 million rubles, the Almetyevsk City Court showed “extraordinary leniency,” imposing a symbolic fine (https://almetevsky--tat.sudrf.ru/modules.php?name=sud_delo&srv_num=1&name_op=case&case_id=341415756&case_uid=bdfde0b0-8bbf-42f0-825a-25edc11da26a&delo_id=1540006&new=) of 350,000 rubles (only 0.3% of the alleged damage).
Currently, “Arslan” is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings with total debt to the state approaching 400 million rubles, but Galeev remains calm — his brother will protect him. Witnesses among former employees have reportedly handed over the entire “black bookkeeping” of “Arslan” to investigators, but Masallimov allegedly managed to suppress the case.
Those who dared to oppose the “family” allegedly faced severe retaliation. In 2025, former employee Elena Sultanova made the “unforgivable mistake” of winning a court case against the “family,” recovering legitimate wages with interest totaling 25 million rubles (case No. 2-3453/2023) and demanding a criminal case be opened against Galeev.
The retaliation allegedly came the same day. The head of the Investigative Committee department in Almetyevsk, controlled by Masallimov — investigator Akhmetgalimov (a protégé of Ilyas Gabdulkhakovich) — immediately opened a retaliatory case against Sultanova for the same 25 million rubles, claiming she had received them from Galeev for “resolving issues.”
At the same time, threats began arriving on Sultanova’s messaging apps, including photos of severed animal and human heads. Sultanova was swiftly placed in a pre-trial detention center, and investigator Akhmetgalimov allegedly offered her a “deal”: offset her awarded wages in exchange for closing the case. When the fabricated accusation began to fall apart and shift from bribery to fraud, investigators attempted to reclassify it as “property theft” through deception involving Galeev.
However, this also failed: an expert examination confirmed that the signatures on cash receipt orders were genuine and belonged to the cashier — Galeev’s own sister. By the end of April, the “property episode” had to be dropped. Sultanova still remains under investigation in what is described as a fabricated case. The threat that she would “rot in prison,” allegedly promised to her by the Masallimov-Galeev family for attempting to recover money through the courts, remains in place, while the Tatarstan Investigative Committee continues to serve the interests of the “Turkish investor” Galeev and his brother, the general Masallimov.
